Improvement in railroad tracks



UNITED STATES,

PATENT QFFICE.

LOUIS H. IETELEB, OF NEW BRIGHTON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD TRACKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 135,839, dated February 11, 1875i.v

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs H. PETELER, of New Brighton, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which drawing- Figure 1 represents a plan or top view of this invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same in the plane as w, Fig.1, on alarger scale than the previous figure.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the arrangement of recesses in the sleepers or cross-ties of a railroad, which are provided with grooves in one of their sides to engage with tongues projecting from the sides of the recesses in the sleepers, and situated opposite the key-seats in said recesses, in such a manner that, when the rails are adjusted in the recesses and the keys are driven home, the tongues and grooves prevent the rails from rising up independent of the sleepers.

In the drawing, the letters A A designate. the sleepers or cross-ties of a railroad, on which rest the rails B B. Said sleepers are provided with recesses a, the depth of which is equal to about half the height of the rails, while their width exceeds that of the rails or of the widest part thereof, so that said rails can be readily set into them. In one side of each recess (preferably in the outside) is made a groove, 1), which forms the seat for a key, 0,

and when the rails are set into the sleepers and the keys are securedin their seats, a firm connection is effected between the rails and the sleepers.

This invention is applicable to rails of an y form or description and for portable or for per- I manent roads; but I have designed it principally for rails made of wooden strips, as shown in the drawing.

I form in each of the recesses of the sleepers, on the side opposite to the key-seat b, a tongue, 0, and in each rail I produce a corresponding groove, d, the recesses being made wide enough to receive the rails and allow of moving them, so that their grooves d will engage with the tongue 0. After the rails have been properly adjusted the keys 0 are driven home in their seats, and a firm connection is effected between the rails and the sleepers, the rails being effectually prevented from rising up independent of the sleepers under the weight of the passing train or cars.

When my invention is applied'to a portable railroad, the devices above described enable me to connect the rails and the sleepers in such a manner that sections are produced, each of which is composed of two rails and two sleepers, and each of which can be readily taken up from the ground and relaid in another place without separating the parts composing such sections.

By these means I am enabled to produce a light and cheap railroad entirely of wood, if desired, and all the parts are so constructed that they can be readily interchanged, and

that repairs on the road can be effected with little trouble or expense.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The tongues c in the sides of the recesses at opposite the key-seats b, in combination with grooves d in the rails B, substantially as set forth.

LOUIS H. PETELER. \Vitnesses: 7

W. HAUFF, CHAS. WAHLERS. 

